Lifeless
by chocolove-n-music
Summary: Chloe's dad is killed and Chloe had a mental breakdown. Everyone tries to help her expecially Derek. He worries for Chloe, but Chloe doesn't want to talk to him.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all; Kelley does (love her writing BTW) **

**Derek x Chloe**

The news struck Chloe like a thousand knives through her heart. She clutched the phone then released, dropping it to the floor. The crash echoed in her ears, leaving a ring in it. After recovering from her frozen state, Chloe grabbed her coat and ran out the door, ignoring her housemates' demanding questions.

The needle on the speed-o-meter would probably have broken right through the glass seeing as how fast Chloe had driven to get to where her father lived. When she got there, there were police cars and an ambulance. Chloe stood in front of the house, red and blue lit the night. Then she saw a stretcher being pulled out the front door.

"Dad!" she shouts, tears streaming down her face.

"Wait" two police held her back.

"Let me go, I want to see my dad!" she shouts more; her voice strained and pierced the ears of the policemen.

The two police let her go. Chloe fell against the stretcher. When she pulled down the white sheet, her tears fell once more. There, bloodied and lifeless, her dad lay in his dead form. There were cuts on his cheeks, almost like claw marks. His form was a very disgusting sight but Chloe has seen worse. His face, she touched his face, bruised and skin tearing apart, and cried.

Then she saw another stretcher being pulled out. She turned to the police.

"Who else died!" she demanded. Before getting an answer, she ran to the other stretcher. When she moved the white cloth, she saw a woman.

"Annette!"

After grieving over the people she loves, Chloe allowed them to be taken to the hospital.

"Officer, may I look inside the house?"

"Ma'am, it's…"

"I would like to look inside the house" her voice was harsh and dead. They allowed her to.

When Chloe stepped into the house, she could smell blood in the air. Straight ahead, she could see the torn up living room. The leather sofas were clawed and tattered. The television was broken, the glass were all over the floor. Then she saw the windows, there were holes in the window, as if something big and tough broke through it without the need to use a weapon to break it. She went to the window. Chloe noticed something at the window she was looking at; there was blood at the edges. Chloe looked at the floor, among the shards of glass, she found hair. When she picked it up, she noticed it was not hair; it was fur, brown fur.

Werewolf fur.

Chloe stepped outside, the cooling night breeze cooled her flushed face. She looked up to see the last person she wanted to set eyes on. Derek. Anger crossed her face, she walked pass him to her car. She passes by him to see his face hard with anger.

"Get back home, we need to talk" she said over the engine then zoomed off.

When they both were home, Chloe could not hold back the rage that built itself within her.

"Your kind did this!"

"My kind! How do you know werewolves did this!" Derek shot back.

"This!" Chloe threw the fur she found on the coffee table.

"Chloe, you need to calm down," Simon, Derek's brother, made a move towards her.

"You stay where you are, Simon" she pointed a finger towards him.

"Chloe, Chloe, please," Tori tried.

"Your dad didn't just die because of a werewolf attack!" she screamed. Her blue eyes stared back at Derek's green ones.

"You told me they don't kill innocent people!"

"They don't!"

"Oh, sure my dad made a deal with werewolves but didn't keep it, sure, Derek," her sarcasm was filled with venom.

"Chloe…"

"Shut up, Derek! Shut up! Shut up! Go away!" Chloe looked like she was about to go insane or pass out.

"Chloe!" Derek tried to grab her but her attempt to move away from him sent her to the ground where she blacked out.

Derek, Simon and Tori had not been able to do their daily work without the thought of Chloe's breakdown haunting their mind. Chloe had woke up the next day with sharp pain in her head. Tori was the only one home when Chloe woke up. Without doing anything else, Chloe had went downstairs, took her car keys and drove straight to the hospital no matter how hard Tori tried to stop her. Chloe had even managed to break through Tori's binding spell through persuasion.

"Please, Tori let me go" Chloe pleaded.

"Whatever you want to do, just… just let me come along with you"

"If you must"

Tori saw they were at the hospital. Chloe had talked to a doctor about her dad and Annette's funeral. She had organized everything within an hour then they were on their way home. Chloe was so silent. Tori, being her best friend after all they've been through ever since they were wanted by the Edison Group because of their powers, knew Chloe had never been a very quiet person.

It's been 7 years since they defeated the Edison Group and was completely safe from harm. When all of them were legal adults, they bought a house and lived together, close to each of their parents. Chloe's dad had allowed her to move in with her friends since he knew she would be lonely at home with him always on business trips. Though, when he was home, Chloe would never miss a day without visiting him. Derek and Simon were happy to be reunited with their dad and Tori had lived with them seeing as how she was Simon's half-sister. Derek and Chloe had been a happy couple, until yesterday.

"Chloe?" Tori spoke up.

Chloe hummed, "Hmm?"

"When is the funeral?"

"Tomorrow"

The funeral was short. Chloe was dressed in a black dress with a black trench coat over. It rained by the end of the funeral. Chloe sat by her dad's headstone, crying to it, allowing the rain to wet her hair and face where the tears blend in with the rain.

"Go get her Derek" Simon whispered.

Derek walked to Chloe, the girl he loves. She looked so weak and vulnerable, like the first time he saw her 7 years ago. Her shoulders trembled and her sobs could be heard. He bent down and touched her shoulders.

"Chloe, it's time to go back"

"Just go"

"Please, Chloe, you can come back tomorrow and the day after but we have to go back, before you get sick"

Chloe gave in. It was no point in trying to argue with him.

That night, the boys came back home with dinner. Chloe had not joined them for dinner but she told them she would eat later, using the excuse 'no appetite'. Though, when everyone was asleep, Chloe took her food and threw it away.

Three days had passed, Derek watched Chloe very closely. He could see her growing thinner by day. When he asked if she ate, she answers 'yes'. There was a time when he tried to hold her, she pulls away. She was quieter; she isolated herself from everyone in the house, especially Derek. Tori would come and talk to her sometimes and hear what Chloe has to say. Everyone notices how Chloe had avoided eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with everyone else.

"Hey, Chloe, I know how you feel right now, okay?"

"You do, hmm?"

"Yeah, my mom was killed too remember?"

"Yeah, but your mom, she tried to kill us and she was a witch, she had powers to defend herself… My dad, he was a normal human, he had no idea werewolves even exist, and heck he doesn't know I'm a necromancer!" Chloe threw her arms in the air.

"True, why aren't you talking to Derek anyway?"

"He's one of them" Chloe said bitterly.

"Yeah, but he didn't know this would happen to, of all the people, your dad"

"Why my dad and Annette?"

Tori stood up and patted Chloe's knee, "I don't know"

Tori walked downstairs to be bombarded by Simon and Derek. Without them asking any questions, Tori shook her head. Simon looked at Derek who walked to the sofa with slumped shoulders. Is ran his hands through his hair, pulling and grumbling. Simon and Tori each sat next to him and patted his shoulders, giving him a knowing look.

At dinner time, they left Chloe alone in her room.

"Do you think she's ever going to come out?" Derek asked.

"Not unless, someone asks her to come out" Simon said.

Tori and Simon gave Derek a look.

"Why me?"

"See this is your problem, you don't know how to resolve things," Simon led Derek up the stairs.

"Wait!" he whisper shouted.

"We are both going to take a shower and we are going to leave you and her alone" Tori jabbed a finger in Derek's chest then left.

"Good luck, bro" Simon went to his room.

Derek stood in front of Chloe's door, did a couple of breathing exercises then knocked on the door. Chloe opened it, looking like a zombie.

"You need to eat"

"I'll eat later"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah" then she slammed the door.

"We left you food in the fridge" he told her, leaning against the closed door.

The household was quiet by the time 10 pm came. Chloe came out of the room. She climbed down the stairs with feather steps, knowing the slightest noise can be heard but Derek's sharp hearing. The first floor was dark, indicating that everyone was asleep. She turned on the lights in the kitchen, wincing when the light hit her eyes. She went to the fridge and took out the food. Chloe unfolded the aluminum foil that covered the food. She took a fork and held a cherry tomato in front of her. They had cooked one of her favorite meals but she did not seem to have the appetite to eat.

One bite was all it took for her to spit it into the sink. She picked up the food, heading towards the trash can.

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice asked.

Chloe turned to see Derek. She looked at the food that she was about to throw away. She put it on the counter then a choked sob escaped her lips. Derek went to her and wrapped her in his arms. She felt so small and bony.

"You haven't eaten any proper food for the past five days, have you?" his voice was soft and gentle, hoping he would not scare her away.

He felt her head shake warily against his chest. Derek carried her and sat her on the counter. He wiped all the falling tears then took the food and heats it up in the microwave. Chloe stared at the food. Derek decides that he would feed Chloe until she eats everything.

"Come on Chloe, you have to eat" he brought the spoon closer to her mouth. Chloe's mouth remained shut.

"I want to go to bed" Chloe tried to get off the counter but was held back but Derek's strong hands.

"Not until you eat something"

Chloe shoved his hand away, but gave up on the effort, being very weak at the moment. Derek pleaded and pleaded but Chloe ignored him. She did not feel mad or anything, she just felt… lifeless. Half an hour passed by but Derek did not give up.

"Please, Chloe" Derek's voice trembled for some reason.

She just stared at him, her eyes dull and emotionless. Derek looked away from her eyes. His head fell aside Chloe's thigh, making him bend over. His hands abandoned whatever they had held and had gotten hold of Chloe's skinny waist.

Then Chloe felt a tremble, a tremble that brought her attention to the man with her right now. She slowly lifted his face and saw streaks of tears down his face.

"Why, Chloe, why?"

"I'm sorry, I just feel… confused"

"About what?"

"My dad just died, he was attack by werewolves, and how do you think that makes me feel living underneath the same roof as one, worse, he happens to be the person I care about so much"

Derek felt lifted when she mention the word 'care'. Chloe lifted his face so they were eye-level. She kissed him gently.

"Thank you" she said.

"For what?"

"Caring, you're willing to feed me"

"You look so damn skinny it's scaring me"

"I'll be fine"

"Just… please, don't ever do that again"

"I won't"

They both shared a heated kiss after their silent promise. Unknown to the two of them, Simon and Tori were outside the kitchen, smiling at each other.

"High five, brother" Tori said, lifting her palm up while they walked upstairs to their respective bedrooms.

Simon high-fived with Tori, "Good night, Tori"

"Night"

**This definitely could have been better, but I'm proud of it. I have a feeling that the characters are OOC or however that symbol goes, but eh… made the story better, I guess. Hope you all enjoyed it. **

**Mind you, I forgot some details in the book, like what color Tori's eyes were, so just ignore that or fill in the blanks. =)**

**-Holly**


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